AVL Chapter 58.1

Xi Jianlan was lectured by the three until dawn.

 

He lay on the table dizzy and disoriented, saying weakly: “Gentlemen, can anyone show some consideration that I’ve just recovered from a serious illness and the deadly poison hasn’t been fully cleared? Are you trying to make me die faster?”

 

“Cut it out,” Feng Yu said. “Didn’t you already take the Yutan flower? I can see you’re perfectly fine. Get up, let’s play cards first.”

 

Estimating they’d return to Central State in a few more hours, Xi Jianlan had slept so long he was no longer sleepy. Seeing they’d finally stopped lecturing him, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief and began playing cards.

 

Feng Yu held his jade tiles, asking casually: “I keep forgetting to ask—where’s Qiao’er?”

 

Xi Jianlan’s hand paused while drawing a tile, frowning: “His spiritual consciousness was scattered by someone, and his puppet body disappeared without a trace. I’ll ask around when we get to Central State.”

 

Feng Yu frowned: “Who has the ability to scatter his spiritual consciousness?”

 

Xi Jianlan didn’t answer. As if thinking of something, he turned to ask Lezheng Jiu: “Gege, where did you get the Yutan flower?”

 

Lezheng Jiu looked down at his cards, saying casually: “From the Heavenly Dao lord.”

 

Xi Jianlan froze, only then realizing that when that little coward Qu Rao had given Sheng Jiao quite a few Yutan flowers, he’d actually kept them.

 

Imagining Sheng Jiao silently gathering up the Yutan flowers Qu Rao had left behind and storing them in his storage ring, Xi Jianlan was instantly charmed to the point of kicking his feet.

 

“Pull your hooves back,” Feng Yu frowned. “Are we about to pass through thunder clouds again?”

 

Lezheng Jiu, Liu Changxing, and Feng Yu didn’t look up, their fingers simultaneously forming seals and casting them at Xi Jianlan’s brow.

 

“Soul-Stabilizing Seal!”

 

With three Soul-Stabilizing Seals together, Xi Jianlan was knocked backward, jade tiles clattering all over him.

 

Feng Yu glanced casually, peeking at his cards: “He’s got Kui and Shi He hexagrams—be careful not to let him block you.”

 

Xi Jianlan rose indignantly: “Don’t look at my cards!—Sheng Jiao, Sheng Wuzhuo, come here!”

 

Sheng Jiao pushed the door open, frowning at the four noisy people.

 

The Zhuxing Zhai members only gave Sheng Jiao a pleasant face when they needed him to fight or cover their retreat. Usually they wouldn’t even spare him a glance. Only Lezheng Jiu stared at Sheng Jiao, silently grinding his teeth, wishing he could throw him off the ten-thousand-zhang-high sky.

 

Sheng Jiao skillfully sat beside Xi Jianlan.

 

Xi Jianlan had been happily playing cards, but this time Sheng Jiao sat a bit too close, like a giant mountain’s shadow silently enveloping him from behind, extremely oppressive.

 

Xi Jianlan felt inexplicably annoyed, turning to glare at him and lowering his voice: “Stay away from me.”

 

Sheng Jiao said nothing.

 

Lezheng Jiu impatiently tapped the table with his jade tiles: “It’s your turn to play.”

 

What’s with all the meaningful glances? It’s unseemly.

 

“Oh.” Xi Jianlan turned back to continue playing, but his luck was never good. He frowned, hesitating between two hexagram tiles for a long while, still unable to decide which to play.

 

Lezheng Jiu looked ready to hack him to pieces.

 

Suddenly, a hand reached from behind, fingertip flicking one of the floating Guan hexagram tiles.

 

Xi Jianlan whipped around, his back against Sheng Jiao’s chest as a sharp osmanthus fragrance hit him, nearly embracing him.

 

After helping him choose a tile, Sheng Jiao sat back up as if nothing had happened.

 

Xi Jianlan forced himself to continue playing with a dark expression.

 

But when it was his turn again, he started agonizing over which tile to play.

 

Sheng Jiao chose another one for him.

 

Xi Jianlan couldn’t hold back, angrily saying: “I don’t want to play that one! Why are you making choices for me? Playing that tile means I lose—playing this one would guarantee a win.”

 

Sheng Jiao watched him coldly, calling his bluff.

 

He’d watched Xi Jianlan play cards with Zhuxing Zhai for so many years and had almost never seen him win.

 

Xi Jianlan was quite confident he could win this round: “If I lose this game because of your tile choice, how will you compensate me?”

 

The three across from them had various expressions.

 

Lezheng Jiu’s face was the color of wilted vegetables, looking like he wanted to draw his blade and hack someone;

 

Feng Yu had completely forgotten about playing cards, cracking pine nuts and watching the two argue without blinking;

 

Liu Changxing arranged his tiles, saying confusedly: “Huh? Why aren’t we playing? Whose turn is it? What was played last round? Let me see if I want it.”

 

Lezheng Jiu: “………..”

 

“Which one of you is actually playing?” Lezheng Jiu was completely out of patience. “You’re playing? Then why are you letting Sheng Jiao point and gesture? And Sheng Jiao, haven’t you heard the saying ‘A true gentleman observes cards without speaking’? If you keep this up, who will want to play cards with Xi Jue in the future?”

 

Xi Jianlan hurriedly said: “Playing, playing, I’m playing—can you stop pointing randomly? I’ll play this one!”

 

He picked up the tile Sheng Jiao had played and threw out another one.

 

Liu Changxing heard nothing outside his cards, focused only on the tiles in his hand. Seeing this, he was overjoyed: “This is exactly the tile I was waiting for! I win, hahaha!”

 

Xi Jianlan: “………..”

 

Xi Jianlan nearly fainted from anger, turning to scold Sheng Jiao: “It’s all your fault!”

 

Sheng Jiao: “…”

 

Lezheng Jiu threw down his tiles, saying coldly: “Playing what ghost game! I’m done.”

 

He was furious to death.

 

Liu Changxing, despite being a great sword cultivator, had an extremely sensitive heart. His eyes immediately reddened: “Just because I won once, you’re so unhappy you’re throwing tiles? Do you have an issue with me? After all, I’m just freeloading on your airship—I don’t deserve to play cards or win.”

 

After speaking, he swept the spirit stones he’d won on the table into his arms and walked away in tears.

 

Lezheng Jiu had a splitting headache, feeling that no one in Zhuxing Zhai was worry-free.

 

Feng Yu was collecting the tiles when he casually glanced at a rhino horn lamp nearby that had received a transmission.

 

“A-Jue, help me open it and listen—see if it’s from Yudu.”

 

Xi Jianlan finished complaining about Sheng Jiao, then moved with a dark expression to sit beside Feng Yu, forming a Ghost-Binding Seal to open the rhino horn lamp.

 

It was indeed a transmission from Heng Yudu.

 

“For this year’s Tianyan Academy competition, should we take the opportunity to gather? Rang Chen finally has some free time.”

 

Usually when Zhuxing Zhai gathered each year, Xi Jianlan and Sheng Jiao, who were fleeing outside, were always absent—except for one time when they forgot to call Fu Man, the rest would attend no matter how busy they were.

 

This year, Xi Jianlan, who had been playing dead all along, finally showed himself. If he agreed to come, Sheng Jiao would definitely follow.

 

The eight members of Zhuxing Zhai could finally reunite.

 

Feng Yu paused in collecting the tiles, exchanging glances with Lezheng Jiu as they both looked at Xi Jianlan.

 

Back when Xi Jianlan broke Rang Chen’s vow of silence, it had caused quite an uproar. If the two met, who knew how they would get along.

 

Xi Jianlan was characteristically carefree: “Sure, let’s go. I haven’t seen Rang Chen and Fu Man in ages. By the way, what’s Fu Man’s courtesy name? I missed his coming-of-age ceremony.”

 

Feng Yu quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Lezheng Jiu frowned: “Fu Man’s courtesy name… what was it?”

 

Everyone began racking their brains trying to remember Fu Man’s courtesy name.

 

They thought about it the entire journey without success.

 

Finally, after arriving in Central State, Liu Changxing, who had finished crying and was descending the steps, casually said: “Bu Yin.”

 

Xi Jianlan’s foot slipped and he nearly tumbled down the wooden steps, laughing heartily: “Bu Yin? Hahaha, that’s definitely a name he’d come up with. Very fitting[mfn]Fu Man (伏瞒) – the given name means something like “to hide/conceal”

Bu Yin (不隐) – the courtesy name means “not hidden/not concealed”[/mfn].”

 

Central State was experiencing a continuous drizzle.

 

Everyone could cast rain-avoidance seals, but Xi Jianlan could only get soaked, his long hair covered in white water droplets.

 

Lezheng Jiu was about to cast a rain-avoidance seal for him when he saw Sheng Jiao take a bamboo-handled umbrella from his storage ring and hold it over Xi Jianlan’s head, blocking the falling rain.

 

Xi Jianlan hurriedly squeezed under the umbrella. Despite his frail body, he occupied most of the umbrella space, pushing half of Sheng Jiao, who was holding it, outside.

 

Sheng Jiao said nothing, didn’t cast a rain-avoidance seal, and let his shoulder get soaked by the rain.

 

Lezheng Jiu: “…”

 

Damn it, he wanted to curse.

 

Having obtained the “Yinhua Rao,” Lezheng Jiu wanted to rush Xi Jianlan back to the Medicine Sect immediately to cure the poison first.

 

Liu Changxing, probably acting on orders from the Sword Sect master, followed Xi Jianlan closely.

 

Feng Yu was idle and bored, only interested in having fun. Instead of reporting back to his father upon returning to Central State, he cheerfully wanted to go play at the Medicine Sect.

 

Sheng Jiao had intended to follow, but upon reaching the entrance, Lezheng Jiu once again barred him from entry, pulling out that tattered “Sheng Jiao Not Permitted Entry” sign.

 

Sheng Jiao: “…”

 

Xi Jianlan was about to say something when Lezheng Jiu covered his mouth and forcibly dragged him out from under the umbrella, gritting his teeth: “Shut up!”

 

Xi Jianlan reached toward Sheng Jiao, seemingly wanting to say something: “Mmph!”

 

Lezheng Jiu dragged and pulled him into the Medicine Sect.

 

Sheng Jiao stood alone holding the umbrella, watching Xi Jianlan disappear through the Medicine Sect’s life gate.

 

Usually, Lady Wan would skillfully come over and bring him into the Medicine Sect after a brief wait. Sheng Jiao had only waited a moment when the Xiezhi Sect’s communication jade token flickered.

 

Juan Xunfang transmitted a message to him.

 

“Sect Master, Master Rang says he has urgent matters to discuss with you and asks you to visit the Rang family.”

 

Sheng Jiao frowned.

 

Because of “Glimpsing Heaven’s Secrets,” Rang Chen always kept his mouth sealed about future events, turning a deaf ear to worldly affairs. In recent years, he had rarely sought out Sheng Jiao alone, let alone contacted the Xiezhi Sect directly.

 

Sheng Jiao glanced at the tightly closed life gate of the Medicine Sect, pressed the jade token dark with his thumb, and his figure vanished like lightning.

 

Only a lonely umbrella remained at the entrance, with raindrops pattering down.

 

Xi Jianlan was reluctantly dragged into the Medicine Sect by Lezheng Jiu: “Gege, gege, it’s still raining outside.”

 

“Do you care if he lives or dies?” Lezheng Jiu ground his teeth, words barely escaping his lips. “Don’t think I can’t see the shenanigans between you two. I’m saving face for you with others around—don’t push your luck, or I’ll scold you.”

 

Xi Jianlan wilted.

 

Feng Yu and Liu Changxing, both carefree, happily wandered around the Medicine Sect as soon as they entered, completely making themselves at home, calling out: “Lady Wan, we’re here to bother you again!”

 

Despite the rainy weather, Lady Wan was in the medicine garden. Hearing the voices, she hurried over and quietly sighed in relief seeing everyone safe and sound.

 

Xi Jianlan was soaked through by the rain, looking as bedraggled as a drowned chicken.

 

Lady Wan felt heartbroken seeing this and quickly pulled him into a room, asking Lezheng Jiu to fetch clothes for him to change.

 

Feng Yu carelessly dried Xi Jianlan’s hair, grinning as he asked Lady Wan: “Lady, does our Medicine Sect have any miraculous pills that can make someone grow taller after eating them?”

 

Xi Jianlan: “…”

 

Xi Jianlan’s long hair was tousled into a mess by Feng Yu’s rubbing. Through the gaps in his black hair, he glared sinisterly at Feng Yu, probably contemplating assassination.

 

Lady Wan laughed continuously: “Such a pity, we don’t have any.”

 

Feng Yu, unaware his death was approaching, even patted Xi Jianlan’s head: “Then Lady, does A-Jue’s lack of growth count as some kind of illness? I remember the Xi family members are all tall and imposing—how is he so short?”

 

Xi Jianlan was already happily planning where to dump the body.

 

Lady Wan thought seriously and said: “Jue’er probably formed his nascent soul too early.”

 

Suddenly forming a nascent soul while still growing meant that no amount of miraculous medicine could force growth—his stature was basically fixed.

 

“Hahaha, but Sheng Jiao also formed his nascent soul at the same age,” Feng Yu laughed heartily. “Both at seventeen—the difference is too great.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, Lady Wan’s always-smiling eyes suddenly froze, a flash of sorrow and grief seeming to pass through them. She reached out to caress Xi Jianlan’s cheek, murmuring with a smile: “…formed the nascent soul too early.”

 

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